It is known to use refractory ceramic mats or blankets made from fibrous, refractory materials to line the interior of high-temperature furnaces. The refractory fiber blankets are often assembled into cube-shaped “modules” formed from a plurality of individual layers of a refractory ceramic fiber blanket. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,001,996, 5,353,567, and 3,819,468 disclose different types of “modules” formed from layers of refractory material. The layers of refractory material are held together in a number of different ways. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,567 to Knight et al. discloses layers of refractory material held together by bands that are wrapped around the layers of refractory material. L-shaped members are located at the corners of the module to prevent the bands from compressing and distorting the refractory layers. U.S. Pat. No. 3,819,468 to Sauder et al. discloses a module having multiple refractory layers that are held together by metal wires extending through the refractory layers. The wires are part of a system including U-shaped hairpin-type devices that are used to attach the refractory module to a support structure. U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,996 to Byrd Jr. discloses layers of a refractory fiber blanket held together by needling and a stringer channel member.
Each of the foregoing systems maintains the refractory fiber module in a generally cubic configuration primarily for post-manufacturing handling and shipping.
The cubic modules are typically mounted to the inner surface of a furnace by a support structure embedded within each module. The support structure is mounted onto a support rod that extends from the inner surface of the furnace. During installation, any outer support structure, such as the cardboard panels and bands or plastic coverings, must be removed from the module.
As will be appreciated, wrapping a refractory module within cardboard panels and bands or within a plastic covering during assembly is time-consuming and costly. In addition, removing such panels, bands, and plastic coverings during installation and disposing of such material is also time-consuming and expensive.
The present invention provides a refractory fiber module and a method of assembling a refractory fiber module that overcome the foregoing shortcomings of conventional refractory modules and a method of assembling the same.